New York Sour Cocktail

Delicious AND pretty, this New York sour is a fun cocktail to serve at your next dinner party for a number of reasons!

One reason this cocktail is so fun is that you can make it with any number of spirits we call whiskey to give your New York Sour a slightly different spin. When I first blogged about this drink, I used scotch. But when I decided to redo the recipe and update the photos, I knew I wanted to go traditionally and use bourbon.

What also intrigued me about this cocktail is that it combines wine with hard liquor. The wine is what makes this cocktail so pretty; and the way it balances the other ingredients makes this New York sour cocktail unique and delightful!

The History of the New York sour Cocktail

Apparently, the New York Sour cocktail first made its appearance in the late 1800s. But, in what city did it first appear?

You’d be wrong if you said, “New York.” It was in Chicago.

I guess it wasn’t called the New York sour back then, but rather, the ‘continental sour’ or the ‘southern whiskey sour’. Chicago barkeeps started to refer to it as the ‘claret snap’ because of the added red wine.

So, when did it become the New York sour? I just don’t know. And frankly, I don’t care. Because what I do know is that it’s a delicious cocktail and if you like bourbon, you will like it, too!

Isn’t that knowledge enough?

I say yes.

Tips on Mixing the Pretty New York Sour:

I usually like a more sour than sweet cocktail, but with this particular drink, I use equal parts sweet to sour

Use a bold red wine: I chose a cabernet sauvignon because of that fact, but any red wine would do

For a smoother drink, use the most expensive whiskey/bourbon you can afford, but if you can’t afford a premium brand, it will still taste delicious

When I use any citrus, I wash it first (I use unscented liquid hand soap from Whole Foods and scrub it with a brush). This is doubly important when you are placing the rind IN the cocktail

When I make a lemon twist, I cut a thinnish slice of lemon, then take a sharp knife and cut a circle around the wheel as close to the pith as I can get. I then pop the lemon flesh out of the wheel and save for later consumption. I cut a slice in the wheel, wrap the rind around a chopstick to make it curl, and garnish the cocktail

How to Mix the New York Sour Cocktail

Pre-step

Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice, get two rocks or double old fashioned glasses and follow the directions above in the tips for two lemon twists.

After measuring out each ingredient, pour it into the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – bourbon, lemon, simple syrup and wine.

Let’s get started.

Step two

Measure 4 ounces bourbon. (A)

Step three

Squeeze 2 ounces of lemon juice. This is what I use to get the juice out of the lemon. I find that most of the lemons I use yield 2 ounces. (B)

Step four

Measure 2 ounces simple syrup. (C)

Now, the fun part.

Step five

Fill two glasses with crushed ice. Make sure the ice is heaping over the rim of the glass because as you pour the contents of the shaker in the glasses, it will melt the ice.

Step six

Cap the shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain and divide the liquid between the two glasses.

You will notice in the photo below, that I left roughly a half inch from the liquid to the top of the glass. This is to accommodate the wine. You will also notice that the ice is still a little heaped at the top. That is perfect.

Feel free to add more ice if it doesn’t look like the photo below.

Step seven

Measure 1 ounce wine for each cocktail.

Step eight

Slowly pour the wine into the glass, making sure it’s floating nicely.

The wine will do its own thing. Some of it sinks. Some of it floats.

Now for the vertical view of the New York sour cocktail.

Yum. So good!

I was trying out a new macro lens, which means I can get closer to the drink. Here are the two photos of the results.

If you’ve tried this New York Sour Cocktail or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Also heap two glasses with crushed ice

Add bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup

Cap shaker and shake for 15 seconds and strain the contents between the two glasses. The crushed ice will likely melt somewhat when you pour it in the glasses, so add some more crushed ice so it fills the glass again

Slowly pour wine into the glasses and add twists

Sip

Smile

Enjoy

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can use bourbon, rye or whiskey!

Tips on Mixing the Pretty New York Sour:

I usually like a more sour than sweet cocktail, but with this particular drink, I use equal parts sweet to sour

Use a bold red wine: I chose a cabernet sauvignon because of that fact, but any red wine would do

For a smoother drink, use the most expensive whiskey/bourbon you can afford, but if you can't afford a premium brand, it will still taste delicious

When I use any citrus, I wash it first (I use unscented liquid hand soap from Whole Foods and use a brush to scrub it). This is doubly important when you are placing the rind IN the cocktail

When I make a lemon twist, I cut a thinnish slice of lemon, then take a sharp knife and cut a circle around the wheel as close to the pith as I can get. I then pop the lemon flesh out of the wheel and save for later consumption. I cut a slice in the wheel, wrap the rind around a chopstick to make it curl, and garnish the cocktail

In the picture is monkey shoulder which is a blend malt scotch and you are using a lowball glass. Just wanted to let you know that is not bourbon and your glass type is wrong based on the instructions provided above.

I have a list of posts that I’m re-doing and this cocktail is on the list. I knew I made the mistake by calling scotch – bourbon, but I hadn’t gotten to it to fix it. Thanks for giving me the kick in the butt about both the glass and the scotch. The funny thing about the lowball glass is that my folks called all their lowball glasses highball glasses and I’ve continued that. I’ve changed it to the appropriate glassware. Thanks for your comment Matt, it is greatly appreciated.